Becoming Friends
by Peaches and Strawberries
Summary: The journey to become life long friends can be long. It can also be short. It could have many twist and turns. It can all be in done with light shining. Sometimes only in darkness can it happen. Join Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass as they travel down the different paths of life on their journey of life long friendship.


**Title:** _Becoming Friends_

 **Summary:** _A few times that Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass find their ways of having a life long friendship._

 ** _Story Notes:_** _This is going to be an on going series. I'll be adding more chapters as my muse comes up with them._

 _These will mostly be just friendships stories ... but sometimes I'll have a romance for Harry and Daphne ... but this is mostly friendship._

 ** _I._**

 ** _(Third Year)_**

Harry sat down and pulled out his things for the lesson.

"What are you doing?" A harsh voice spoke to his right.

"Getting ready for the lesson." Harry continued to get his things ready for the double Transfiguration.

"What are you doing in _this_ seat." The harsh female voice demanded lowly.

"I felt like sitting here today." Harry turned his head and smiled at the blonde haired girl.

"I didn't invite you Potter." The girl frowned even darker than before.

"Harry." Harry simply smiled.

The blonde girl blinked.

"Look I know you haven't invited me to sit next to you, Daphne. But I have wanted to sit next to you for a while now." He shrugged his thin shoulders. "I decided today was the perfect time. After all I see none of your friends sitting here at the moment. So I decided to sit with you."

Daphne's body language grew tighter. "Get out of here Potter. Now!"

Harry realized what he said didn't come out the way he wanted to come out. "I didn't mean anything negative Daphne. I was just happy that for once I didn't see one of your friends sitting next to you. I was happy that I got here before the seat next to you was taking." He said in a low and soft voice. "I want to be your friend."

Daphne's eyes turned impassive.

"I don't care about the house rivals. I want to be able to make up my own mind up whom I want in my life." Harry leaned forward a little closer. "I would very much like having you in my life; Daphne. Not as an enemy. Not as a frienemy. Not as an acquaintances. Not someone whom I know a name of. Not someone whom I know the face of. But a friend. A true living and breathing friend. A life long friend."

Daphne felt her heart grow lighter with every single word that Harry was speaking. She could tell that he meant it. That he was honesty speaking from his heart. But she had to remain on edge. She truly wanted to tell him that she wanted that too of him. But they were in a class room. They were thirteen years old. They were from different house. Two major rivalry houses. She was a Greengrass for God's shake. She had her upbringing to consider. She had her family image to up hold.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry for saying all this here." He kept his eyes onto hers. "I just wanted to give you something to think about is all." He leaned back against the back of his seat. "I hope in time you will want to return my friendship. Even if we have to wait until after we graduate from Hogwarts."

Daphne opened her mouth to respond but McGongall started the lesson.

 **II.**

 **(Pre-Hogwarts)**

Harry smiled in the mirror at the girl that stood behind him.

The girl smiled back. But her face quickly turned impassive once more.

After he was told that he was finished he stepped down from the footstool he had been standing on. Turning to face the blonde haired girl. He held out his hand. "Hello my name is Harry Potter."

The girl took his hand and shook it. Her hand left his just as soon as the shake was done. "I know." She simply replied.

Harry felt warmth when her eyes didn't go up to his forehead to see his lighting bolt scar. Like how everyone whom he had met did. Everyone expect Hagrid. She kept her icy blue eyes locked onto his own green one.

"My name is Daphne Greengrass." She replied in a stately manner.

"I take it you are starting Hogwarts this year also?" Harry nodded towards the robes that were every where in the shop.

Daphne nodded.

Harry smiled. "At least I'll know someone my own age when I get to Hogwarts."

"You won't have any issue at all. _Everyone_ knows whom you are Harry James Potter." Daphne stiffly replied.

Harry frowned gently. "They just know my name. They know what happened when I was a year old." Harry's hands went into his pants pockets. "They don't me. They don't know whom Harry is. Just Harry." He whispered the last.

Daphne softened when she heard the tone of Harry's voice. _He's different then I expected. He's not living life thinking that he is something all because he was the 'Boy Who Lived'. He doesn't even look like one would expect him to look. He's not richly dressed. He doesn't hold himself up as he should as the Heir to the Potter house. He looks so ordinary. He looks less than ordinary._

"Can you tell me about Hogwarts?" Harry asked. "I mean I just _learned_ that I'm a wizard. Yesterday in fact."

Daphne's eyes widen before she quickly went back to her impassive face. The face that was expected of her. At least in public. "You grew up as a Muggle?"

Harry blushed. "Yeah." He shrugged. "Kinda."

Daphne had confusion in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when ...

Draco Malfroy walked through the doors. She knew that she didn't want to question Harry Potter about anything about his life any where near Draco Malfroy. She placed her impassive mask firmly back on her face by the time Draco walked over to where she and Harry were standing.

Harry saw Daphne stiffen up even more when he heard the door bell twinkle from behind him. He opened his mouth to say something. But something in her eyes flashed before her blue eyes turned into impassive glass. He would obey her silent order and keep his mouth close.

"Greengrass." A harsh voice spoke behind him.

Harry stiffened up at the derogatory tone in the voice. Before he could turn around and comment.

"Malfoy." Daphne lifted her chin.

Harry turned his head to face the blond boy next to him. He was not impressed.

Malfoy looked into his eyes then lifted his eyes to his forehead. "Harry Potter. I heard you were going to attend Hogwarts this year." He moved so he was standing in front of Harry and had his back firmly against Daphne. "Draco Malfoy." He held out his hand. "It's best that you become my friend Potter. Having the _right_ friends is the best after all."

Harry ignored the hand. "I all ready have the right sort of friends." He moved past Draco and stood next to Daphne.

Draco snarled as his upper lip crawled. "My father did say the Potter family is the bottom of the dune pile. After all your father James did marry a mudblood after all."

Harry's blood boiled. How dare this snot nose punk kid insult his mother. He wanted to rush Draco and beat the shit out of him. But he felt a firm but gentle hand on his upper arm. He stayed where he was. He allowed Daphne to calm him down. "My mother wasn't a mudblood. She was a muggle. She was a human being."

The door opened once more. "Daphne are you ready to go?" A male voice spoke in a calm fashion.

Harry watched as Draco stiffened even tighter than before.

Daphne moved forward not taking her hand off of Harry. "Yes father we are ready to go."

Lord Greengrass looked into his daughter's eyes and read that she was holding herself firmly together and that she made a new friend. A friend whom needed her protection. A friend whom needed the Greengrass family protection. He looked over at the young man and his heart skipped a beat. Harry Potter. His daughter has made friends with Harry James Potter. His heart was overwhelmed at the joyful news. "Your mother wants us to meet her for lunch." He smiled over at Harry. "You are invited to join us Harry. You and your guardian."

"It would please me to join you Mr. Greengrass. Actually Hagrid has brought me here today." Harry quietly spoke up.

Lord Greengrass's eyes lit up. "It will be fine catching up with Hagrid." He heard young Malfoy snort through his nose. "Time to get out of here. It is quite stuffy all ready." He led the way from the shop.

Harry felt Daphne's hand still on his arm. He felt warm all over. He felt that this truly was a friend. That no matter what Dudley would do to him there would be no way that Daphne would end her friendship with him.

 **III.**

 **(8th Year)**

Harry walked down the path that led to the black lake. It had been months since the end of the war. Voldemort was dead. He wasn't coming back this time. Death has defeated him. But Death has taken so many others along with him. Not just counting his parents. But Sirius. Remus. Tonks. Dumbledore. Fred. Hedwig. Dobby. Colin. Snape. ... and so many others. But Harry knew that Death hadn't defeated them ... no Death had welcomed their tired bodies and wrapped them up as it carried them to their rightfully home. Harry knew that they were living peaceful after life up above looking down on the rest of them.

He was pleased that the Board of Governors had agreed that last year didn't count for the seventh year Hogwarts students. That they wanted them to come back for an eighth year. That they would be graduating with this years seventh year students. Harry was going to graduate with Ginny. He got to spend one year being with her at Hogwarts. He didn't have to leave the first (second) home he ever had felt a year from the love of his life. He was actually going to be having that year holding Ginny's hand on Hogwarts grounds. Snogging her in little nooks around the castle. Planning about after leaving Hogwarts behind. They were finally going to have the teenage romance that they always wanted ... but knew they couldn't voice.

He was finally going to see Ron and Hermione finally being the couple that they always had been before leaving Hogwarts behind. He was finally going to watch them holding hands; blush as they look at one another. Perhaps surprise them a few times snogging in a nook or broom closet.

But he felt like something was missing from his life. Now that he didn't have to worry about Voldemort coming back to finish him off. Now that he honesty could just sit back and be a normal teenage wizard like everyone else. He felt something was off inside him. Like he was missing something very important. Something that he should have had all along since learning that he was in fact a wizard.

He paused as he stared down the path. _How many times have dad and mum traveled this path themselves. How many romantic strolls did they have as they themselves planned for life after Hogwarts? Did they feel like something was missing from their lives. From their very souls? Did they have it all figured out when they were on the cusp of adulthood? Did they feel full filled?_ He wished he had enough time to voice these thoughts with Remus. He knew that Remus would have told him in a heartbeat.

Why did he waste so much time? He fully knew the dangerous that life was under with the threat of Voldemort. He fully knew that Voldemort and his supporters could have easily have killed Remus long before the final battle at Hogwarts. Why did he waste so much time? Why didn't he find the time to pull Remus aside and ask him more intimate details about his parents lives. Remus would have told him. Why did waste that valuable time? Harry didn't even give in to the fact that he had been a child and like a child mind that didn't want to wake up to the adult lives ... even concerning his dead parents. Parents whom he didn't remember. Parents whom were killed protecting him at a year old.

He honesty thought he had all the time in the world to question Remus. Even after Sirius's death. Even then it didn't hit him enough to realize that life was truly fragile. That someone could be alive one second and dead the next ... in a bloodily battle never less. He was so dense.

Harry would make sure that Teddy didn't make the mistakes that he himself had made. He would make fully sure that Teddy knew early on about his dad and mum. How much they loved each other. How much they loved their son.

Something caught in his peripheral vision. His head turned and the breathe was stolen from his chest. His heart beat a steady beat. His soul felt like it was coming home. To a home that he never realized that he had been missing.

Daphne Greengrass was sitting underneath a tree her head lowered reading a book. Her blonde hair was shining through the warm late Autumn afternoon. Harry felt his feet move forward. He stopped and stooped down. "May I join you?"

Daphne stilled. She had of course felt someone looking at her. She of course felt someone moving towards her. But she didn't allow her self awareness to be shone. She knew that the person didn't present a threat towards her. So she just waited and continued to finish her paragraph. Her eyes froze slightly at the sound of Harry's voice. She forced her mind to take in the last two sentences before she lifted her blue eyes to meet his green ones. "Why now?"

"Because as a prat I finally decided what I have been missing." Harry answered honestly.

"My mother and your mother were very close throughout their time at Hogwarts." Daphne spoke.

Harry's eyes widen in surprise. He sat down next to her. "Tell me more please."

"I was waiting for you to befriend me ... like your mother befriended my mother after they were sorted." She frowned. "You never did. I just assumed that you were more like your father than mother in that way."

Harry sighed deeply. "I'm deeply sorry that I allowed my distaste of Draco Malfoy ruin any hopes of my honesty finding friends in all four houses when I first arrived at Hogwarts." He shook his head. "Draco just reminded me so much of my cousin upon first meeting him at Madam Malkins ... that I truly did't want anything to do with him. Or any Slytherin ... because Draco bragged that he all already new he was going into that house. He spoke so derogatory against muggle born; whom just the previous learned my mom was. That I just knew that I couldn't be around him."

Harry took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have shut myself off to the entire house of Slytherin; Daphne. I know that. I had always known that." He looked into her understanding blue eyes. "But the life I had lived with the Dursley's had conditioned me to be isolated. To be abused. To be hated. I wanted to change that at Hogwarts. I wanted to get my free will back. I wanted to my life back."

Daphne leaned into him. Placing her arms around his body. Silently she pulled him into her. Gently rubbing his back as she felt his shakes. "You aren't alone now." She whispered in her ear. "If mother had any idea of where you were sent ... then she would have personally gone and gotten you." She rested her head on his shoulder.

Harry felt his body shake with silent tears. He felt warmth over come him as he heard that there was yet another person whom had wanted him when he was a year old. That he wasn't the freak that the Dursley's had always made him believe. He rested his head against her shoulder.


End file.
